1955: The Everly Brothers made their first studio recordings at Nashville’s Hotel Tulane, cutting four tracks in twenty-two minutes—“Keep A’ Lovin’ Me,” “The Sun Keeps Shining,” “If Her Love Isn’t True,” and “That’s The Life I Have To Live.”

1961: Brian Epstein went to Liverpool’s Cavern Club to see for himself a performance by the Beatles, the group that had been getting so much buzz from young customers in his music store. He met with Paul McCartney and George Harrison after the show and just over two months later, Epstein became the group’s manager.

1962: “Happy Landing” by The Miracles was released as the lead single from the group’s fourth album, The Fabulous Miracles. The record’s B-side, “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” was the first song produced by Smokey Robinson and had been written by Robinson after hearing Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home to Me,” which was currently on the charts.

1962: Elvis Presley released his fifth soundtrack album, Girls! Girls! Girls!.

1963: “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen entered the Billboard Hot 100. The song became the group’s biggest hit, reaching #2 on the chart.

1963: “It’s Alright” by the Impressions became the group’s first #1 single on the Billboard R&B chart. It was also their first to reach the top 10 on the Hot 100, where it peaked at #4.

1964: “Blue Christmas” by Elvis Presley was released as a single from his first Christmas album.

1964: The Beach Boys released their seventh studio album, The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album.

1966: “Tell It Like It Is” by Aaron Neville was released. The single became his first major hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.

1966: John Lennon met future wife Yoko Ono when he attended a preview of her art exhibition at the Indica Gallery in London.

1967: The first issue of Rolling Stone magazine was published. Founded in San Francisco by 21-year-old University of Berkeley, California dropout Jann Wenner and 48-year-old San Francisco Chronicle music critic Ralph J. Gleason, the pair considered names like “Electric Typewriter” and “New Times” before settling on “Rolling Stone,” a title inspired by an essay Gleason had written for The American Scholar.

1967: Cream’s second studio album, Disraeli Gears, entered the Billboard pop chart. It was the group’s breakthrough hit, reaching #4 in the US, and peaked at #5 in the UK.

1968: After a handful of gigs in Denmark and Sweden, Led Zeppelin made their official UK stage debut at London’s Marquee Club. The band had played at the venue less than a month earlier in October while they were still performing as the Yardbirds. On the same day, lead singer Robert Plant married girlfriend Maureen Wilson, and the concert doubled as a wedding reception.

1968: Judy Collins’ cover version of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” entered the Billboard Hot 100. Collins’ previous single, “Hard Lovin’ Loser,” had only reached #97, but her recording of “Both Sides Now” went on to be her only top 10 hit on the US pop charts, reaching #8.

1969: Simon & Garfunkel recorded “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” the title track from their fifth and final studio album. The song became the duo’s biggest hit, holding the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks, topped charts around the world, eventually sold over six million copies worldwide, and won five awards at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It also became one of the most performed songs of the twentieth century, with over fifty artists covering the song.

1970: Derek and the Dominos, a group made up of Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock, Jim Gordon, Carl Radle, and Duane Allman, released their only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. The double album was initially regarded as a critical and commercial disappointment, failing to enter the British chart and peaking at #16 in the US. It wasn’t until 2011 that it debuted on the UK albums chart, peaking at #68.

1970: Badfinger released No Dice, their third studio album and first to include guitarist Joey Molland.

1973: Billy Joel released his breakthrough second studio album, Piano Man. His first release with Columbia Records, the album had emerged from legal difficulties with Joel’s former label, Family Productions.

1973: Santana released their fifth studio album, Welcome. Singer and keyboardist Gregg Rolie and guitarist Neal Schon, who had left the band to form Journey, were replaced by Tom Coster, Richard Kermode and Leon Thomas, along with guest John McLaughlin.

1973: Paul Simon released “American Tune,” the third single from his third solo studio album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.

1973: Cat Stevens made his US television debut on In Concert on ABC.

1974: Bachman-Turner Overdrive achieved their only #1 hit when “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” the group’s only single to enter the top 10 in the US, reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1974: Carole King topped the Billboard pop chart with Wrap Around Joy, her sixth studio album and third and final LP to reach #1 in the US.

1976: Gainesville, Florida band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their eponymous debut album.

1981: Australian band Men at Work released their debut studio album, Business as Usual. The LP was a worldwide hit, reaching #1 in Australia, the UK, the US, and other countries.

1981: The Stranglers released their sixth studio album, La folie.

1981: The Cars released the lead single and title track from their fourth studio album, Shake It Up. The song became their first top 10 hit in the US, peaking at #4.

1987: Eurythmics released their seventh studio album, Savage.

1992: R.E.M. released “Man on the Moon,” the second single from the band’s eighth studio album, Automatic for the People. The song is a tribute to the comedian and performer Andy Kaufman, with numerous references to his career.

2002: Santana’s nineteenth studio album, Shaman, became the group’s fourth and final #1 on the Billboard pop chart.

2004: Elton John released his twenty-seventh studio album, Peachtree Road.

2004: Linda Ronstadt released her twenty-fourth and final studio album, Hummin’ to Myself.

Birthdays Today

Mary Travers, singer-songwriter and member of folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, was born in Louisville, KY in 1936.

Roger McGough, poet, author, playwright, songwriter, and co-founder of The Scaffold and Grimms, was born in Litherland, Lancashire, England in 1937.

Tom Fogerty, rhythm guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival and older brother of John Fogerty, was born in Berkeley, CA in 1941.

John Dean, bass vocalist for The Reflections, was born in Detroit, MI in 1941.

Lee Graziano, drummer for the American Breed, was born in Chicago, IL in 1943.

Dennis Provisor, singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and solo artist who joined The Grass Roots in 1969, replacing lead vocalist/songwriter Creed Bratton, was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1943.

Phil May, lead singer and founding member of The Pretty Things, was born Philip Dennis Arthur Wadey in Dartford, Kent, England in 1944.

Joe Bouchard, bassist for Blue Öyster Cult, was born in Watertown, NY in 1948.

Tommy Caldwell, bassist and original frontman for The Marshall Tucker Band, was born in Spartanburg, SC in 1949.

Susan Tedeschi, singer and guitarist, member of Tedeschi Trucks Band with husband Derek Trucks, was born in Boston, MA in 1970.

Mark Speer, songwriter and guitarist for Khruangbin, was born in Houston, TX in 1979.